


Ballum One Shots

by ballumlover69



Category: EastEnders (TV)
Genre: Angst, Comfort, Fluff, Hurt, Love, M/M, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:34:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25674403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ballumlover69/pseuds/ballumlover69
Summary: A collection of one shots about everyone's favourite couple, Ballum :)#8 Christmas Day at the Mitchell household
Relationships: Callum "Halfway" Highway/Ben Mitchell
Comments: 17
Kudos: 89





	1. morning cuddles

**Author's Note:**

> #1 Ben and Callum spend their morning in bed before Callum has to go to work

Callum was very much a morning person. He guesses that it originates from his time in the army because before that, he hated mornings. He used to sleep through them as much as he could, wait for his dad and brother to head out the house before he was up and moving. He wasn't exactly fond of the idea of going downstairs and sitting at the breakfast table with his dad, staring down at his toast to avoid the harsh glare from opposite him. Everyone in the square knows about Callum's relationship with his dad, especially after the situation in The Vic. When it came to mornings with Whitney, that's when he started to get up earlier, not wanting to spend any longer in bed with the women whose heart he was slowly breaking. Therefore, he got up early, usually between five and six, to go for an early morning run. They helped him clear his head and feel some form of freedom, considering the suffocation he felt around his fiancé.

With Ben, it was different, so so so different. He would stay in bed all day every day if he could. Sadly, they both had work and family commitments. Callum knew that Ben felt the same way he did, and he showed it. He always kept his arms wrapped tightly around Callum or rolled on top of him, whispering sweet nothings into the crook of his neck. He was good, always convinced Callum to stay another five or ten minutes depending on the situation.

He still woke up early, unless it was a busy night before. This was different though. Different to the breakfast with his dad, different from the army wake up calls, different from his morning runs. This was perfect. He wished he could admire the beautiful sight in front of him all day.  
Ben was curled up beside him, a hand tucked under his head and the other lazily thrown over Callum's side. His hair was no longer styled into his small quiff, but instead messed up and falling onto his forehead, his eyelashes were resting so delicately to the point where it looked like it would tickle, and his lips were parted slightly, releasing little breaths and the occasional quiet snore. He looked so peaceful and it was a huge contrast to his hard man demeanour that he showed people outside these four walls.

Callum moved his hand from Ben's upper arm and gently placed it upon Ben's cheek, tracing the contoured line of his cheekbone and tracing it down to feel the stubble on his jaw. He then proceeded to trace the freckles on his cheeks like it was a game of dot to dot, one that formed the gorgeous image of his boyfriend. Boyfriend. He still couldn't believe he had the honour of calling Ben Mitchell his boyfriend.

"It's rude to stare, you know"

Callum was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't realise that Ben had woken up beside him. How he didn't know? He wasn't entirely sure, to be honest, but it shocked him, that's for sure. His hand quickly moved away from Ben's face and back onto his arm. He didn't want to move his hand, he kind of wanted to put it back but he was too embarrassed to do so. He turned red, all the way up to the tips of his ears. He'd never been caught before. He's acting like a child that had been caught drawing on the walls with markers. He was wide-eyed and fumbling over his words, trying to come up with a reason as to why he had been staring.

"You look cute right now" Ben mumbled, his voice rough from sleep.

Don't even get Callum started on Ben's morning voice. That was a factor that caused Callum to stay a little bit longer before work. Ben was already so stunning but the voice caused him to twitch in his boxers when those sweet nothings were whispered in his ear. 

"I- I didn't mean-" Callum stuttered. He had gained more confidence ever since coming out, finally sticking up for himself and being less clumsy in general. That didn't mean that he no longer blushed or stumbled over his words. It was okay though, Ben adored when Callum became all flustered. He loved how he would turn a crimson colour and do anything to avoid his gaze.

Ben placed two fingers under Callum's chin and tilt his head up, leaving a quick peck on his slightly pouted lips. He took a brief moment to admire Callum before speaking up with his usual sassy response.

"It's okay baby, I understand. I'd watch me sleep too if I could"

That made Callum's lips curve upwards into a smile and his eyes roll backwards. He wouldn't have it any other way though. He couldn't imagine a relationship without the sassy responses, the constant sarcasm and sexual remarks. How boring would that be?!

"I'm going to go make some breakfast and then I've got to get ready for work" Callum mumbled, cheeks finally back to their normal colour and feeling more relaxed from being caught.

Ben made sure to shut that idea down by shuffling closer to Callum and hiding his face in his chest. He groaned loudly, it being muffled from Callum's body but still reflecting off the walls from the deepness of it. Callum didn't oppose the idea yet, wrapping his arm around Ben and snaking it up to his head to play with his hair. Moments later, Callum could feel delicate kisses being placed on his skin around his collarbone, one of his weaknesses. Ben knew exactly what he was doing.

Callum pulled back and shook his head at Ben, a silent way of telling him to stop. He didn't. He continued to litter the kisses over Callum.

"Ben, come on." Callum groaned, pushing the smaller man away from him before standing up quickly. "I really can't be late for work. Especially since you've kept me behind every other day this week"

He couldn't help but chuckle at what he said. As annoyed as he was for being late every day, he had to admit that Ben was persuasive and he didn't mind staying back for a few extra minutes to have Ben's lips wrapped around him. It did however mean that he rushed into work with messy hair and swollen lips every morning. He was sure that everyone at the station knew exactly what had gone on. What they didn't know, was that it was happening with one of their biggest enemies, Ben Mitchell, son of Phil Mitchell.

"Can you not skip breakfast at least?" Ben asked, pouting his lips and attempting to give Callum his best puppy eyes. Callum was a sucker for those eyes. The way the blue shined brightly from the morning sun that shone through the curtains.

Callum sighed and climbed back into bed beside his needy boyfriend, wrapping his arms tightly around him. His head immediately nuzzled into Ben's hair and he left soft kisses there.

"Five more minutes" Callum mumbled like every other morning.

He just couldn't help himself.


	2. video games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> #2 Ben wants Callum's attention but the aliens on the tv won't let him have it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #2 Ben wants Callum's attention but the aliens on the tv won't let him have it 
> 
> (first smut.. enjoy)

Ben hated them! Well, not hated, but strongly disliked. What is he talking about? You might ask. Callum's video games. He was always on them and that meant that Ben wasn't getting the attention that he deserved. After a long day of work, Ben wanted to cuddle on the sofa and watch a movie with a takeaway and his handsome boyfriend. Sadly, the night rarely ended like that. Usually, Ben came home to see Callum with his headset already on and empty packets of crisps in front of him. Some nights he tried to gain the attention of the gorgeous man, the other nights he grabbed himself an apple and headed to bed early, too tired to fight for the affection.

Ben had a bad day at work. An early start, followed by hassle from Jay about the motors and plenty of aggro customers. Then after that, he had to go pick up Lexi from school because Lola had to take a shift at work. He didn't hate the idea of going to pick up Lexi but after all the hassle he'd already had, he just wanted to relax. She then bombarded him with questions all the way home and finally, Phil moaned to him about whatever had gone wrong in his life and blamed it on Ben. So yeah, he just wanted some cuddles and junk food.

He sighed as he pushed the door open and hung his coat on the rack. He could already hear Callum's yelling from the living room. He covered his face with his hands and groaned quietly, not wanting Callum to hear him. Not like he would anyway. He trudged his way upstairs and that's when he could finally see what Callum was playing. There was a target covering the screen with aliens in the middle of it all. It honestly looked boring and he didn't know how somebody could sit for hours playing it.

Ben collapsed next to Callum and leaned his head on his upper arm. Usually, or at least when he wasn't playing his video games, Callum's arm would immediately be wrapped around Ben's shoulders but it wasn't like that. The lack of action caused Ben to roll his eyes back into his head, he wasn't going to stop yet though. He shuffled up and started to leave little kisses at the base of Callum's neck in hopes that would gain at least a little bit of attention but he was wrong, so wrong.

Instead of moving towards Ben, he moved away from him, avoiding all the gentle kisses that Ben was giving. This caused the younger to pout, just wanting Callum's attention on him. He probably looked needy and desperate, but he was. He wasn't sure what to do so attempted to pry the controller from Callum's bare hands. This also didn't go well. Callum pushed his elbow into Ben's side, causing him to wide loudly and hold his ribs. He finally realised what needed to be done. He wasn't going to get Callum's attention from cuddles.

He stood up and held his arms above his head and stretched his back. He sighed in relief when his back clicked, a sign of his tough day. He bit his lip and looked down at Callum's lap, dropping on his knees before him. That caused Callum to tear his eyes away from the screen, even if it was only for a brief second. He moved his hands up the thick thighs before him and traced his fingers over Callum's groin. He made quick work of unbuttoning Callum's jeans and pulling them down to his ankles. He raised his eyebrows and rest his head on the gorgeous thighs in front of him, looking up at Callum with a similar pout to before. He gave Callum the option to put the controller down but he didn't, so Ben took it further.

He slowly trailed his hands from Callum's knees to the waistband of the taller man's Calvin Kleins. He tugged on the elastic and let it snap back onto Callum's hip. A quiet yelp of surprised slipped from his boyfriend's lips but it was quickly covered by a cough since his headset was still on and everybody online could hear him. Ben smirked, knowing that he had Callum in his pocket, even if he didn't have his full attention. He hooked his fingers back into Callum's waistband and slowly dragged his boxers down to where his jeans were resting, Callum subconsciously lifting his hips to let him pull them off.

Ben pulled his lower lip in between his teeth and he eyed up Callum's cock. The way that it was semi-erect from Ben's teasing and resting on his stomach. Once Ben let out a little moan at the sight before him, Callum had realised what was going on.

"Ben. Don't" He mumbled, pulling his left headphone away from his ear so he could talk to the handsome man on his knees.

Ben innocently shrugged and trailed his finger around Callum's thighs, avoiding the growing erection in front of his face. Callum had gone back to his game so was mostly unaware of what was going on below. Finally, Ben wrapped his lips around Callum, sucking and working his tongue around the head. He dipped his tongue into the slit, causing the taller man to moan and him to smirk in victory.

Ben could hear the yells coming from through the headset and when he looked up through his eyelashes, he saw Callum's face turn that beautiful crimson colour from embarrassment. He could tell that everyone online had heard the moan and were now making fun of Callum for it. At least their jokes might finally get him off his games. He pulled off of Callum with a little pop and climbed up to sit on his lap. Callum kept playing though, wrapping his arms around Ben's waist and resting his head on his shoulder.

The jeering had calmed down and they were all focussed on the game again. Ben decided that he was going to try one more thing before he gave up. He started to move his hips and kissed the Callum where his shoulders meet his neck. He lightly bit the skin and licked it to cool the newly red mark that had shown. This caused another moan to push through Callum's lips, this one louder than the last.

"I'm gonna have to go, guys," Callum said quietly, hiding his face in Ben's shoulder to muffle the moans that wanted to escape.

Once again, Ben could hear the yells through the headphones and decided to speak up this time.

"Sorry boys but Callum has to go, he's a bit busy right now!"

He grabbed Callum's controller and exit the game, standing up to turn the console off. He didn't hear Callum come up behind him and before he knew it, he was thrown over the older man's shoulder.

"If you wanted attention, all you had to do was ask"

"WHAT-"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> Please feel free to leave any prompts that you would like to see and any notes on how I could improve <3


	3. nail painting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> #3 Lexi paints Callum's nails

Callum had been getting on with Lexi recently and it made Ben the happiest dad and boyfriend in the world! Lexi was Ben's happiness and he'd do anything for his little girl, so to see Callum getting along with her so well made Ben's heart grow.

He introduced Callum to Lexi pretty early on in the relationship but he did it as minimal as possible. It's not that he didn't want them to know each other, he just didn't want to rush anything before it became serious in case anything happened. He didn't want to break Callum's heart but he thought, if that did end up happening, he didn't want to break Lexi's as well. When it did happen, Lexi was surprisingly okay. She knew that her daddy was hurting and made sure to put him first, giving him reassuring words and plenty of cuddles. She was almost as happy as Ben when they got back together.

When they got back together, he let his two favourite people meet up more, even letting Callum pick Lexi up from school when he was busy at work. He had become a second, or third including Jay, father to her.

Every time he saw Callum and Lexi together, Ben felt like he wanted to cry. He'd come back from work to see them cuddling on the sofa watching Frozen or stood in the kitchen baking cookies, which were always delicious thanks to Callum's amazing cooking skills.

Today, when he came back from work, was no different. There was no gorgeous smell when he first entered the kitchen, so no baking was happening. There also wasn't any singing from the living room, which meant that Frozen wasn't being watched for the hundredth time. He shrugged off his coat and threw it on the back of one of the chairs, placing his keys and wallet beside it in on the table. He stretched and rubbed his hands over his eyes, poking his head into the living room. Here come those tears again.

Lexi and Callum were sat on the floor, various colours of nail polish sat beside them. Callum had his hand delicately placed in Lexi's as she carefully brushed the paint over Callum's nails. One hand was painted a crimson colour, similar to his cheeks when he blushed and the other hand was currently being painted a bright blue colour, similar to his beautiful eyes that Ben drowns in every day.

\--

"Cal, can I paint your nails when I get back?" Lexi asked.

They were walking back from the cafe, Lexi reaching up to hold Callum's hand tightly. She looked at Callum with pure adoration and excited, waiting for the answer. Callum couldn't let her down, he'd do anything to make the little girl happy. Therefore, he nodded with a bright smile, swinging Lexi's hand as they walked back to the Mitchell house.

As soon as she entered the house, Lexi was straight upstairs, picking out the different colours she wanted to paint Callum's nails. While she was sorting through her multiple colours, Callum was tidying around the kitchen as the kettle was boiling. He didn't particularly like coffee but couldn't wait to have one. Lexi had run him ragged ever since he had picked her up from school so he needed a little pick me up to get him through the rest of the night. He was sure that he was going to fall asleep on Ben straight after dinner. Not like he minded, he loved when Ben delicately ran his fingers through Callum's gelled locks and how he occasionally left sweet kisses there after.

Callum was broken out his loving thoughts when he heard a little cough come from behind him.

"The kettle finished boiling ages ago!" Lexi giggled with a bright smile, a nail polish bottle clutched in each hand. "Were you thinking about Daddy?"

"Yeah I was- how did you know?"

How did Lexi know what he had been thinking about? Was he thinking aloud?

"You had that look," She said, putting the nail polishes on the side for a moment. "You get a little twinkle in your eyes and you get all blushy"

Callum, being confused by the seven year olds knowledge of love, shrugged it off and led Lexi to the living room so she could paint his nails, the coffee now long forgotten about. He'll just have one later. Ben's daughter was far more important right now, he wanted to make her happy because it makes his boyfriend happy.

They sat themselves down on the carpet in the living room, facing each other. Callum had his back against the sofa and lazily put his hands out for Lexi to paint. His laziness was quickly corrected by Lexi as she grabbed his hands and placed them where she wanted with a quick tut. Callum chuckled and shook his head, correcting his hands again to prove he had them in the right place.

After everything was perfectly in place for Lexi, she quickly got to work, painting Callum's nails as neatly as she could. 

\-- 

Neither of them had realised that Ben had come in so he took a moment to lean on the doorframe and admire the sight in front of him. After a couple of minutes, he decided to make the two aware of his presence.

"Don't you look pretty" He chuckled, a loving smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

Callum and Lexi's heads quickly turn towards the door at the same time, the same shocked expression on their faces. Lexi dropped the nail polish and stood up, running over to Ben and jumping on him. He reached out and caught Lexi, throwing a little smile to Callum who was fumbling to pick up the dropped nail polish before it made a bigger mess than it had already made. He put Lexi back on her feet and she immediately started rambling about school and the amazing time she had with Callum. They had already been to the cafe and had a milkshake and iced bun, before coming back and painting each other's nails. She also mentioned Ben coming home and them both being shocked, in which he responded,

"I know baby, I was here for that bit."

Callum had got up and put the polish away in the time she was talking, luckily getting most of it out the carpet. Once Lexi had run upstairs, Ben moved over to where Callum was stood, standing on his tiptoes and ready to kiss his man. He wasn't allowed to though.

"Ah ah, watch the nails," Callum said, moving his hands out to the side and waving them to get the nail polish to dry.

Ben rolled his eyes and fell back onto his feet, sighing as he did so.

Who knew Callum would be so sassy with painted nails?  



	4. set up date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> #4 Jay sets Ben up with his new work colleague after Ben struggles to cope with his deafness
> 
> (Requested by Lola)

Ben's had problems with his hearing for as long as he could remember. When he was a baby, he was diagnosed with meningitis, which caused hearing loss. He wasn.t completely deaf, special thanks to his hearing aid for giving him a little more help with it all. If you thought that having hearing loss was bad, add the constant bullying from his peers. He was bullied at primary by some classmates, them not liking the fact that he was different. The bullying didn't just stop at school, it was carried into prison with him too. The boys would take his hearing aid and hit him in his good ear, causing a bigger impact on his hearing. It only lasted a short while and he managed to get his aid back but in the moments they did it, he felt so vulnerable. Being in such a scary place is bad enough, being unable to hear what's going on around you just makes it worse.

So he got meningitis, causing hearing loss and bullying. Not fun. Surely it couldn't get worse, right?

It did.

In February of 2019, Queen Vic won a competition, allowing them to have a boat party on the Thames. He didn't plan to go to a party he didn't care too much about but he had to. He had to help his dad. He regrets ever stepping foot on the boat, he had no reason to ever go. Keanu got away scot-free and Ben had to pay with even more hearing loss. He had hit his head on the boat and left him with about ten per cent hearing left. Maybe not even that. Everything was muffled. He gave up at that point, took his aid out since it only helped a little bit.

Okay so, meningitis, hearing loss, bullying, even more, hearing loss. That wasn't the end of his journey though.

Ben still craved his Father's approval and agreed to help him with a robbery in Stratford. Another thing he regrets. Turns out Danny Hardcastle wasn't on their side as much as they wanted or thought. Ben got caught up in the action more than his dad. A shot right beside his ear ruined him, couldn't hear a peep, nothing at all. That was it, Ben was deaf. If he thought he had already given up, he was wrong.

Ever since Ben had lost his hearing completely, he'd been moping around the house, only leaving to go to work. He made everybody else to the shops and take Lexi to school. He wished he could have taken his baby girl to school but he just didn't have the energy. He was struggling to even get up to shower or get dressed. He stopped wearing button-up shirts and jeans. His style was the messy hair, joggers and whatever hoodie was closest to him so he didn't have to move too far.

He was scared. Scared to face the outside world while feeling so vulnerable. He didn't want the same thing to happen as when he was growing up. He didn't want people giving him disgusted looks and insults to be hurled at him, not as if he would hear them.  
\--  
He was laying on the sofa in last weeks joggers and a hoodie that he didn't even know he owned. Maybe it was Jay's or an old hookup's. Whoever it belonged to wouldn't be getting, it was far too comfortabale for him to give up. The TV was on, he wasn't watching it, he was trying but he just couldn't focus on the bright screen before him. What was the point he couldn't hear what was going on and the remote was too far away to turn on subtitles? He hated subtitles with a passion anyway, so even if the remote was close to him, he probably wouldn't have turned them on. Reading the subtitles draw your attention away from what's happening. He may as well read a book.

While Ben was in his own world, staring at the TV which appeared blurred, he didn't realise what time it was. Jay was stood beside him, leaning against the door frame as he watched his brother and best friend cuddle up with himself. It broke Jay's heart to see Ben like that, considering he was so confident when he returned to the square. He was no longer making sassy or sexual remarks to people, his lips didn't turn up into a cocky smirk and he was no longer making his dodgy dealings. The last one was probably good but it was Ben, without his secretive dealings, he wasn't himself.

Jay decided he couldn't watch it any longer, he couldn't take Ben lounging around all day, only showing when he could be bothered to and not spending time with anybody but his bed. He stepped in front of the TV, blocking the bright colours. Luckily, it managed to draw Ben out of his daydream.

"I'm sick of this" Jay said, making sure to talk slowly and clearly enough for Ben to understand him.

Once Ben had fully comprehended what was said to him, he rolled his eyes and pulled the drawstrings of his hoodie to cover his face. Jay couldn't talk to him if Ben couldn't see him. Jay sighed at Ben's actions, walking over to him and pulling the hood open again so Ben was able to read his lips.

"I'm not havin' you lounge around here all day," Jay said, slapping Ben's legs down so he was in a sitting position. "Do something about it or I'm gonna force you out, even if I have to lift you over my shoulder and carry you!"

"Whatever" Ben mumbled, laying back down and closing his eyes.

Jay shook his head, glaring at Ben for a moment longer before leaving, slamming the door shut. Ben didn't know he'd left.  
\--  
A new boy moved into the square not long after Jay confronted Ben about his moping. His name was Callum Highway. He moved after being released from the army and luckily he knew a family on the square, the Carters. He was living with them above The Vic. He was pretty dorky, always dropping things when lending a hand at the pub and stumbling over his words when faced with confrontation.

He decided that he needed more independence and couldn't rely on the Carters like he did when he was younger. Therefore, he applied for a job at Cokers, the local funeral parlour. He was excited about his new job, finally gaining independence but also helping people with their loss. He understands how it feels to lose someone you love. He didn't have anybody to help him when he lost his first love, Chris, so he wants to give people what he craved so badly during those times.

Jay loved his new colleague. Callum was always on hand, willing to work any shift giving, always working on the filing and always happy to work with the bodies that come in. He'll do anything, the perfect employee! He also had the perfect idea on how to get Ben to stop moping about. Not only was Callum the perfect employee, but he was also tall, handsome, sweet and gay. Ben's type. Maybe Ben wouldn't go out to the shops or Lexi's school but there was no way he'd turn down a date from Callum. It just goes against all of Ben's morals.  
\--  
Jay tapped Ben's shoulder as he returned to the Mitchell household after work, grabbing his attention away from his phone. He was kinda nervous to tell Ben what he had set up because he wasn't completely sure what his brother would say or how he would react. Ben looked up towards him, bright curious blue eyes looking into his. You could still see the sadness hidden deep within them. Under his eyes were dark and his eyes were red, clearly from crying.

"I've got a surprise for you," he said with a small smile, "I told you that you need to get out of this dumb house but you haven't, so I've done something about it"

Ben's eyebrows furrowed and he shook his head, totally against the idea before he even knew what it was. He didn't wanna leave, he didn't want any sympathy from anybody. He's shut out his own family, there's no way he can be around anybody else.

"You're going on a date," Jay said before Ben could even process what was going on. " Tonight. His name is Callum, he's twenty-nine, tall, handsome. He's your type"

Ben thought about, maybe going out with someone who didn't know him or his deafness would be good for him. He thought about it for a moment, weighing out all the pros and cons of going on the date but then just said 'fuck it' and agreed.  
\--  
Ben walked into Prince Albert, finally wearing clothes that weren't super casual. He was wearing his usual black jeans and boots, paired with a maroon button-up shirt. He was feeling slightly more confident in himself now that he was dressed properly. His hair was slicked up into his usual small quiff and his stubble was shaved off. He looked like a new man compared to the previous day.

He wasn't best pleased to be at his mum's bar since he was trying to avoid her and her questioning but after taking a glance around, it looked like she wasn't on shift. After nervously looking around for his mum, he tried to spot Callum from the brief description he was given from Jay. He spotted a man sat at the bar by himself, nursing a bottle of beer. He guessed that was him. Tall, perfectly gelled hair, blue eyes and kinda dorky looking. That was Callum. 

He took a deep breath and made his way over to the handsome man sat at the bar, perching on the stool beside him. He ordered himself the same beer that Callum was drinking before making his presence known with a slight cough. Callum's head looked up from his beer and at Ben. His face lit up slightly when he realised who was sat beside him.

"You must be Ben," Callum said with a bright smile, holding his hand out towards him. Ben took Callum's hand in his, shaking it slightly, his eyes widening when he realised how big Callum's hand was compared to his. His hand felt tiny in comparison.

"Yeah, you must be Callum," He said in response, acknowledging that he is the guy Callum has been waiting for. He was already pretty nervous as he realised it was hard to read Callum's lips in the lighting of the club. He was sure that he'd be able to manage but it wasn't going to be easy.

The two got into a flowing conversation, well kind of. Ben had to ask Callum to repeat a few things. They talked about their jobs and past careers. He was surprised to hear that the man was in the army, he didn't seem like the kind to be in battle or to be able to have control of a gun. His assumption was right, Callum wasn't out on the field but rather in the back making sausage rolls and other pastries. Ben managed to keep most of his jobs under wraps, not wanting to talk about any dodgy dealings or robberies in Stratford.

"How do you know Jay?" Callum asked, turning his head away to face the barman as he ordered two more drinks for them. This caused Ben to frown as he only caught the words 'how do'. It was such a generic sentence starter that Ben couldn't even try to make up something that Callum might have said.

"Hmm?" Ben asked, chewing on his lip nervously.

He saw Callum's lips move as he grabbed the beers but he still wasn't facing him. Ben grew frustrated with the fact that he couldn't understand what Callum was saying. He regrets going on the date. He knew that it was a stupid idea. A club with dark lights and loud music obviously wouldn't have been a good environment for him.

"I'm sorry Callum, this isn't working" He shook his head and stood up, quickly walking towards the door before Callum could even comprehend what Ben said.

Callum did follow Ben but he had no idea Callum was so hot on his trail. Ben leant against the wall beside the door, letting out a long breath. He finally felt free from the crowded space. He saw the door open beside him and closed his eyes, just wanting a second to himself without being bombarded with questions on why he left. Just one second!

"Ben?" Callum questioned, standing in front of him with his arms crossed over his chest, feeling the chill from the breeze outside compared to the hot and sweaty club. "Are you okay? I didn't say anything wrong, did I?"

Ben shook his head, biting his lip again. He wanted to tell Callum, he really did but he couldn't bring himself to it. He couldn't have Callum look at him with so much disappointment and disgust too. Especially when he was so handsome and sweet. Ben needed to end anything before Callum realised.

"Are you-" Callum paused, considering his options on why Ben didn't want to continue their date. "Are you deaf?"

Ben looked down at the ground and nodded, closing his eyes to prevent any tears from slipping out. He couldn't look up, he didn't want to see Callum's face right now, no matter how gorgeous he was.

"It's okay Ben. I understand why you didn't want to tell me but it's okay" Callum said after tilting Ben's head up so he could read his lips. He made sure to speak slowly and carefully so Ben could understand him.

Callum had a deaf friend back at school. He knew little bits of sign language but he guessed that Ben wasn't up to date with much of it, especially since he wasn't even willing to tell Callum that he was deaf.

"Maybe we could try this again. Another day, another environment. One where it's not so loud or overcrowded?" Callum asked, moving his hand from Ben's chin to intertwine their fingers together.

"I'd like that" Ben said with a slight blush.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> Please leave any suggestions for one shots or ideas on how to improve! :)  
> XOXOX


	5. the most chocolatey cake possible

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #5 Callum and Ben attempt to bake a cake for Lexi

It was the 23rd of July, meaning it was a very special day for a little girl in the Mitchell/Pearce family. It was Lexi's birthday! The little girl adored holidays. Christmas, Halloween, Easter, she loved them all. However, her favourite was her birthday. Why was that? You might ask. Well, all the attention was on her. The little diva loved the attention. She took after her dad on that one. She loved receiving presents from everyone in her family, having a cake made for her, and having a special birthday meal of her choice. Usually pizza. This year was no different from the others. Lexi was bouncing around the house two weeks before her birthday, constantly reminding people that she was going to be a year older and wanted a huge cake. 

Talking about cakes, this year it was Callum's responsibility. Lexi was in love with Callum's cooking and baking, always requesting for him to make things with her and their dinner for when daddy was back from work. He was always happy to cook for the little girl, loving being in the kitchen in general. He was given strict instructions to make 'the most chocolatey cake possible'. Fine by him. 

He head out and bought the ingredients that he needed, remembering to buy chocolate powder and as much chocolate as he could find. A chocolate fudge cake sounded good and he could decorate it with a little bit of chocolate on top to add to 'the most chocolatey cake possible'. He carried the heavy bag upstairs to the flat, going there instead of the Mitchell's so Lexi couldn't sneak in and take a peek of her cake. Well more like, so Lexi couldn't come in and eat all the decorative chocolate that he had bought. He placed the bag down on the counter and took a brief look around the flat, checking whether anybody else was in. He was happy to find out that it was empty. 

He popped the radio on, humming in content when he heard a song he was familiar with. He turned it up, drowning out the silence before he got to work. He mixed the dry ingredients before adding butter and cracking a few eggs into the bowl. 

\---

Ben was looking for Callum. He wasn't exactly in dire need of him but he missed him. He looked at the Mitchell household, The Vic, The Café, even The Albert. He sighed and tried the last place where he guessed he might be, his flat. He quietly made his way up the stairs, not sure whether Stuart and/or Rainie were there. As he rounded the corner at the top of the stairs, he smiled, seeing Callum hard at work making Lexi's cake. He leaned against the wall and took a second to admire the way Callum looked, wiggling his hips and humming along with the music from the radio. He guessed that his boyfriend couldn't hear him, considering how loud the radio was and the fact that he hadn't turned around to greet whoever had come through the door. 

After a moment, Ben made his way over to Callum, wrapping his arms around him from behind. This made the older man jump and turn in Ben's arms, obviously shocked from the sudden hold. He relaxed as he saw Ben's bright smile behind him. He leaned down and left a quick kiss on Ben's forehead. 

"What are you doing here?" Callum asked, wriggling out of Ben's arms to grab some milk to put a small dash in the mixture. "Shouldn't you still be at work?"

"I finished everything there, all my paperwork!" Ben replied with a proud smile on his lips. "And I missed you, didn't I? Wanted to go home and cuddle with you but you were nowhere to be seen"

Callum hummed and poured the milk into the mixture, feeling Ben's arms around him again not long after. A pair of lips on his neck followed, soft kisses being pressed on his weak spot, causing a small moan to slip from his lips. He reached behind him and pushed Ben back. 

"Ben, please, not now" Callum sighed. As much as he wanted to turn around and smash his lips on Ben's, he needed to finish this cake for later. "I need to finish this"  
Ben's smug smile turned into a pout as he was pushed away but it didn't stop him. He wrapped his arms back around Callum and rest his chin on the older man's shoulder, standing on his tip-toes to be able to reach it. 

"Ben, behave," Callum said sternly, wriggling himself out of Ben's grip again. "Either help me by mixing all of that or go away".

Ben agreed to help, even if he mixed everything with a pout on his face and slight puppy dog eyes, just wanting Callum's attention. Callum smiled once Ben was helping rather than causing a distraction. He turned around and turned the oven on, greasing the cake tins after to make sure the cake came out clean and looked immaculate for Lexi. 

Once Callum was done, he turned around wanting to check how Ben was doing with the mixture, only to be met with a face full of flour. He coughed away the flour that went straight down his throat before wiping some flour off his face. 

"Ben!" Callum said angrily, still wiping his face. "What the fuck was that for?!" 

Ben just giggled, walking over to Callum to kiss his floury lips. He put his hands on Callum's chest, leaning in and pressing his lips to Callum's, swiping his tongue against his boyfriend's lower lips. Next thing he knew, there was a knock on his head and something wet was running down the back of his head to his neck. He gasped and pulled away from Callum, looking up to see a smirk on the older man's lips. 

"Two can play at that game," Callum said smugly, picking up the flour as a weapon, ready to pounce when threatened by Ben. Talking about Ben, he picked up the box of eggs, taking one out and holding it as if he was about to toss it straight at Callum's head. This caused Callum's hand to dive into the bag of flour, grabbing a handful in his closed fist. "Go on then, throw the egg"

Ben raised his eyebrow at Callum's words, considering tossing the egg at him. Before he could, a handful of flour was thrown at his face, just like he had done to Callum moments earlier. This caused his arm to move forward and crack the egg on Callum's head. 

The continued to throw different ingredients at each other, them both being covered in sticky egg and decorated with different dry ingredients. Once all the eggs were gone, Callum held his hands up as a sign of defeat. 

"Okay, let's leave it there," He said with a chuckle, looking over their appearances. "Let's get this mixture in the tins and in the oven, then we can go for a shower together. I promise to cuddle you until this cake is finished"

Ben smirked, feeling like he had won this battle, even if he was covered in different ingredients. 

They quickly put the cakes in the oven and head off to get in the shower together. A lot of their time was spent making out but they somehow managed to exit the shower clean, as if the food fight had never happened. They got out and had a little cuddle before getting the cake out the oven, impressed with how it came out after the whole incident. They let it cool down then decorated before taking it over to the Beale household to Lexi. 

She was very excited, happy she had 'the most chocolatey cake possible'.


	6. the accident

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #6 Ben has an accident and Callum doesn't want to leave him
> 
> Requested by Dhfjfncjcjcjcj

"All available officers RTC on Bow Flyover, one critical"

  
Callum frowned as he heard the announcement come through his radio. He hadn't dealt with anything serious yet, only the CCTV. Well, I guess you could say the CCTV was serious considering his boyfriend was spotted near the warehouse in Stratford looking suspicious. He didn't have to deal with anyone in person, and he's never had to go to a crash or anything involving someone being injured. 

He was currently in the car with DI Thompson as they drove to the accident on Bow Flyover, his head turned away so he was looking out the window and his chin resting on his hand. He wasn't in the mood for any of DI Thompsons general chat. He guessed the older man had done this multiple times before since he didn't look even the slightest bit fazed about what had happened. Callum, on the other hand, his head was all over the place. Who was it? What about their family? Do they know what's happened yet? Are they going to be okay? Or are the injuries so bad they won't be able to survive them? 

He sighed as the pulled up to the accident, to nervous to get out the car. He wasn't sure whether he could face it. He had to. He had to be strong if he wanted to be a good copper. He opened his car door and let his shaky legs carry him closer to the accident. He tried to glance over to see who was in the car but it was turned over, the car looked kind of familiar though. They had got there before the ambulance so couldn't help the person but just assess the area and wait for the paramedics to arrive. 

Once close enough to the accident, he managed to glance in the car and see who was stuck in the driver's seat, groaning quietly in pain. 

No. 

It couldn't be. 

Callum took a couple of steps back, his breath becoming more shallow and rapid. He put his hands behind him, trying to find something to stabilize himself. His hands eventually found the side of the police car. He let himself fall against it as he thought over all those questions he was asking himself in the car. It was Ben. He was his family. He didn't know until just now. The others, he didn't know but he wasn't looking good. Covered in blood, groaning in pain and struggling to move. 

In his haze, Callum saw flashing blue lights pull up beside him. The bright light snapped him back to where he was and before he even knew it, his legs were moving, making him run over to the car where Ben was stuck. He let tears fall down his cheeks as he tried to pull the car door open. A simple task seemed impossible for Callum though as his hands were trembling and he struggled to get a grip on the handle. 

He felt himself being pulled away from the car and he tried so hard to get himself out of the paramedic's strong hold. He needed to be there, he had to help him, he had to get Ben out of that car. What if one of the paramedics moved him wrong and hurts him? What if they don't get him out fast enough and he doesn't survive? He realised he was wrong, of course, the paramedics would do a better job than him. He was more likely to hurt Ben than them. He calmed himself down and took a step, nodding to the paramedic as if to indicate he wasn't going to go all crazy on them again. 

He kept his eyes on the car, watching the paramedics lift Ben's body out the car and carefully place him on the stretcher. However, he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. DI Thompson. He was making his way over to Callum and he knew why the older officer was approaching him. It was so unprofessional to do what he did but he couldn't help it. You would do the same if you were in this position.

"Callum, what was that about?" He heard the gruff voice of his colleague. 

He didn't respond, just shook his head and let his eyes fall to the ground once Ben was safe in the ambulance and getting quick checks. He heard a gasp come from his right, a sign that DI Thompson had picked up on what was going on. 

"Are you and Ben an item?" The older officer asked, his voice laced with concern but also amusement at the fact a copper was dating a wanted Mitchell. 

Callum nodded, looking up at DI Thompson's smug face. This just angered him. Callum's boyfriend had just been involved in a car crash and this officer seemed to find it acceptable to smirk at him. He shook his head turned away, about to walk to the ambulance when his arm was pulled by the other officer. 

"You do realise this isn't good for your career, Callum?" 

"You do realise my boyfriend has just been in an accident?!" Callum said, anger prominent in his voice. He pulled his arm away and started walking back to the ambulance before turning back to DI Thompson. "I'm gonna need cover for the next week, maybe longer, and I expect sick pay since someone is sick" 

DI Thompson stood with a shocked yet slightly confused look on his face as he watched Callum retreat to the ambulance and climb in beside Ben. Who knew the rookie copper would snap back at his boss so early into his career?

\---

Callum hadn't left Ben's bedside all week. He had been sat on the small hospital chair for so long that he had started to cramp up. He didn't move though, only stood up to go to the toilet. He tried to keep that as minimal as possible. He was too scared to leave his boyfriend's side. He had been put into a medical coma. Callum didn't know what that was but if it was what was best for Ben, he wasn't going to question it. He just wished his boyfriend would wake up and knowing his luck that would happen when he went to go pee. 

He was sat beside Ben's bed, his larger hand holding his unconscious boyfriend's hand in his. His eyes were occasionally slipping closed but he stopped himself from falling asleep. There had been a couple of times that he had slipped up but it was only for an hour every couple of days. Large, dark bags were below his eyes, his hair was a mess and he wasn't smelling too good. Nurses had tried to get him to go home, practically begging him to go home and get some sleep. He appreciated their concern, he really did, but he just couldn't bring himself to leave the hospital.

His brother, Jay, Lola, Lexi, Kathy, and even Phil had all come to see Ben too. However, none of them stayed, especially not like Callum. They were only there for a couple of hours at a time. He received the same talk from them too, telling him to go home to rest and clean up. He almost gave in when Lexi asked him, telling him that she cared for him and her daddy wouldn't wanna see him like this. A few tears slipped but after a little bit of consideration, he decided that he was going to stay. 

He rubbed his eyes and squeezed Ben's hand, leaning down to rest his head on his boyfriend's arm. He just wanted to see his man's beautiful blue eyes again, he wanted to see his smile, he wanted to kiss his lips. He closed his eyes, tiredness overcoming his body. He just couldn't fight it anymore. As he drifted off to sleep, he felt a light squeeze from Ben's hand. His eyes snapped open and he slowly lifts his head, looking at Ben's face, seeing his eyes still closed and his face looking relaxed. He shook his head and put it back down. He was just being delusional, must be the tiredness. 

Or maybe not. 

He felt another squeeze, this one is slightly stronger than the previous one. There's no way this is the tiredness. Once maybe, but twice? No way. He looked and saw Ben's eyelashes fluttering slightly, indicating that he was waking up. Callum gasped and stood up, standing over Ben's bed and running his fingers through his hair, just like how he does in the morning. It still pains Callum to look at Ben. He hates the scabs on his face, all the cuts and dry blood. He doesn't deserve it. The crash wasn't Ben's fault, it was some idiot driver who didn't understand the rules of the road. 

"Ben?" Callum asked smoothly, leaning down to place a delicate kiss on his boyfriend's forehead. "Wake up baby, please"

He continued to run his fingers through Ben's hair and kept his other hand in Ben's weak grip. This was what he had been waiting for all week. He was finally going to see Ben's bright blue eyes again. He was going to hear his soothing voice again. Callum couldn't wait. After a moment, Ben's eyelashes started to flutter and eventually, his eyes slowly opened, his bright blue orbs were on show. It broke Callum's heart to see his boyfriend in the state he was in. He looked so confused as his bright eyes scanned over the white walls of the hospital walls, the ones Callum had studied for the past week. He could close his eyes and tell you every single detail about the room. Where every single health poster was and what they say. Where each wire was and what colour they were. Every nook and cranny, he knew.

"Callum-" Finally, Ben's eyes landed on Callum, a small smile tugging on his lips when he saw his boyfriend. 

Callum shook his head, his fingers carefully caressing Ben's. 

"Ben, don't talk, just relax" He mumbled quietly, leaning down to kiss Ben's forehead. "You were in an accident. You're okay. They put you in a medical coma but I'm so happy you're awake, baby. I'm gonna stay with you until you're better"

"I promise" 


	7. bust lip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> #7 Ben gets a bust lip and Callum is the one to clean up the mess

Ben wasn't perfect He wasn't a role model to the younger generation, Callum knew that. He also knew telling him to try and stay out of trouble wasn't an easy task since Ben was so under his dad's spell and would jump off a cliff if he was told to. He didn't want Ben to be all 'Mr. Nice Guy', where would the fun be in that? He just wanted the dodgy dealings and fights to calm down a bit, especially since he was a copper now. He didn't want to be dragged into Ben's mess and have to try and bail him out. He couldn't let Lexi visit her dad in jail, he didn't wanna visit Ben in jail. He didn't want his interactions to be through a glass screen. He wouldn't be able to hold Ben or kiss his soft lips. He wasn't even sure if he could gather up the courage to see his lover in such a place. Ben was very secretive about his dealings too, which always caused arguments in the Mitchell household. Ben saying that he's protecting Callum, and Callum yelling back that he doesn't need protection from such things. 

\---

Ben and Callum were currently in The Albert, enjoying a few after-work drinks. Although a few drinks seemed to mean nothing to Ben. Callum had lost count of how many the man had. He wasn't drunk but he was tipsy, swaying a little as he walked around the packed bar. Callum found it cute. The way Ben automatically became more cuddly after some drinks and always had a bright smile on his lips when looking at his lover. Callum was only on his second bottle of beer, not wanting to get to the level of Ben since someone had to look after the tipsy man. 

He finished off his second bottle and placed it down on the table, nudging Ben's side which caused the smaller boy to look up quickly with a curious look on his face. Callum stood ran his fingers through Ben's slightly ruffled hair and kissed his forehead. 

"Move out, I'm going to get myself another drink" He mumbled, scooting across the seat to hint to Ben what he wanted him to do as if his words wouldn't be enough. 

"Get me another" Ben slurred out, having to grab the table to stabilize himself once he was stood. Callum chuckled and shook his head, walking backwards towards the bar. 

"I think you've had enough, baby," He said before banging into the back of somebody else in the bar. He quickly turned around to apologize. "I'm sorry I did-"

"I think you need to learn how to handle your drinks a bit more mate" The guy mumbled, wiping the front of his shirt where his drink had spilled onto him a bit. 

Almost seconds later, he could feel Ben's presence behind him. This caused Callum to close his eyes with annoyance, knowing that whatever happened after would not be good. Ben stepped round in front of Callum and eyes up the guy. His posture was straight, shoulders pushed back, arms crossed and head tilted. 

"What did you say just say?" He asked, eyebrow raising with curiosity despite knowing exactly what was said. 

"I said your friend needs to be able to hold his drinks better. Maybe you should just take pretty boy home"

And there was Ben's breaking point, fist swinging forward to the slightly taller man's face. He managed to get a decent blow in but the other man wasn't having any of it and swung straight back, landing a punch on Ben's face. At this point, Callum had to grab Ben's jacket and pull him back before all hell broke loose in the bar. He sighed and dragged Ben to the exit, wanting to get away from the embarrassing situation as soon as possible.

\---

Callum hadn't ushered a single word to the younger boy on the walk home, making Ben extremely nervous. He hated Callum's silent treatment. Ben so desperately needed Callum to talk to him, reassure him that they were okay. But from the way things were going, Ben was sure they weren't. He walked into the house with his eyes facing the floor and a small pout on his face. He knew Callum didn't want him getting in fights but he had to protect him! He couldn't let some random guy talk like that about Callum. He walked into the kitchen and leaned against the table, biting his bust lip. 

"Callum I'm sorry" He mumbled, looking up at his boyfriend through his eyelashes but not lifting his head. 

Callum shook his head as he grabbed a clean tea towel and put it under the tap, wetting the corner. He walked back over to Ben and grabbed his chin, lifting it so the younger man was looking at him. It was nothing like how Callum usually did it, he didn't delicately place a finger under Ben's chin to prompt him. He pushed his lover's chin up like it was nothing. The action caused Ben to internally sigh, knowing it would take a lot of effort to get Callum back on his side. He knows he messed up. He knows he should have never punched the guy but the alcohol coursing in his veins told him to do it.

"You sobered up quickly" Callum mumbled. 

He gently pats the cut on Ben's lip. As angry as he was, he wasn't going to cause any further to Ben's face. He cleaned up the busted lip before wiping around the area to clean up the blood that was slowly drying on his boyfriend's chin. He tossed the towel into the washing machine and leaned against the side, arms crossed over his chest as he eyed up Ben, and not in a positive way. He was just waiting for Ben to explain his actions. After a minute or so, Ben realised that Callum wasn't going to be the first to speak up. 

"I don't know why I did it" Ben mumbled, clasping his hands together and looking down at his feet. "I couldn't tell you whether it was the alcohol or the fact that he was getting lippy at you. I just wanted to protect you, Callum"

He looked up at the taller man, having to crane his neck up since he was sat down which made him feel even smaller than his boyfriend. Callum's face softened a little bit at how genuine and honest Ben was being. Usually, he'd brush something like that off or make jokes about it, mostly sex-related. He could see the hurt on Ben's face, and he wasn't referring to the bust lip. He could see that Ben was genuinely sorry for his actions. 

"I always want to protect you. I hate seeing you hurt or upset" Ben sighed, biting his lip but then wincing from the pain of it, reopening the cut that had finally stopped bleeding. 

That caused Callum to chuckle and grab the towel again, rewetting it and dabbing it back on Ben's lip, cleaning up the fresh blood that was spilling. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on Ben's forehead before dabbing the blood again. 

"I'm not expecting you to never hit anyone ever again, but please, don't do it over such petty things," Callum said, placing the towel on the side behind him. "Now how do you think your lip would feel about kissing?"

Callum smirked and stood up straight as Ben jumped up and grabbed Callum's belt loops, pulling him close to his chest and pressing his lips roughly against Callum's. 


	8. christmas day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #8 Christmas Day at the Mitchell household

Christmas. Probably everyone's favourite holiday but no one loves it as much as Callum. He never really got the same Christmas that other kids got to experience. His Christmas consist of Stuart buying him a present from the corner shop, usually a bag of sweets, and them watching Christmas movies together while their dead beat dad was at the local pub getting hammered. His favourite was Home Alone, no competition on that. He loved how the family came to forgive Kevin at the end of the movie despite him arguing with them, making a mess, and ruining their holiday. He wished he could have that with his family but Callum got beat by his father just by 'looking at him funny'. He couldn't imagine challenging his father as Kevin did to his mother.

Christmas in the army was okay, nothing too special. They all had a meal, which Callum contributed too and drank while all sitting around and having a laugh. In the evening, Callum and Chris would hang out together, have another beer together, and just talk. He wished he could experience another night in the army with Chris. He wished that he could have told him on one of those cold Christmas evenings that he had a feeling for his fellow soldier. Maybe if he did, things would be different today. He doesn't want life to be any different though, so maybe it was a good thing that he was too scared to mention how bad he wanted to kiss Chris.

Christmas at the Carter's was fun. It was nice to spend another holiday at theirs. However, it just didn't feel right. It didn't feel right waking up to Whitney that morning. It didn't feel right buying her expensive jewelry and making 'passionate' love under the warm sheets later that night as a part of Whitney's present to him. All of it was a lie.

The year after, well we all know how that went. His soulmate broke him, left him merely a couple of days before Christmas. He'd never felt so broken before. His heart was ripped out and he was left for dead in the middle of the square. Usually, the sight of the tall Christmas tree would make his eyes light up and his heart swells with joy but every time he looked at the tree, his eyes filled up with tears and he got a real punch right in the gut. Maybe he just didn't deserve to be happy.

Or maybe he did. This year was so much different.

\---

Sunlight peeked through the gap in the curtain, casting a bright line across Callum's face. You could tell Ben had closed the curtains, he never seemed to understand that they need to cross over to avoid light waking them up. He sighed, scrunching his face up, hand rubbing away the sleep in his eyes. He looked beside him to see the culprit of the open curtains sleeping peacefully, cuddled up into his side. Ben was still fast asleep, limbs were thrown over Callum as if he wanted to keep his lover in place until he was ready to let go. Sadly, Callum didn't get much time to admire his boyfriend in his calm and sleepy state.

A little cheeky eight year old burst through the door, Christmas pyjamas on and Santa hat resting on her golden locks. Callum sighed in the annoyance of the disruption but he couldn't stay annoyed for long after seeing how adorable and excited she looked. It just would have been nice to have the morning to themselves. She jumped on her daddy, causing him to let out a loud 'oomph' and have his eyes snap open in shock of the new sudden weight on him. Callum was quick to reassure him, his hand moving up to play with Ben's hair, letting him know everything was safe.

"Daddy! Daddy! It's Christmas!" She yelled, letting Ben know exactly who was on top of him. "Get up, we need to go see if Santa has been!"

Ben turned his head to look at Callum, a sleepy but amused look on his face. Callum gave him the same look, a raised eyebrow, and a cute smirk. Ben put his hands on Lexi's waist and nodded towards the door, gesturing for her to get out. There was no way he was getting out of bed so early and was going to milk as much time in bed with his lover as possible.

"Why don't you go wake mummy and Jay up then me and daddy Callum will down with you in five minutes, ten at most" Ben mumbled quickly, patting her side.

She nodded and shuffled off of Ben, running out the room and straight into Lola's where she was yelling something similar to what she did before. Ben threw his head back into the pillow and closed his eyes for a moment before turning himself to face Callum. He opened his eyes, a pure look of adoration in the crystal orbs. He wrapped his arm and leg back around Callum and left small kisses over his chest and neck.

"Good morning handsome, and Merry Christmas"

"Merry Christmas, Ben" Callum repeated, placing a soft kiss on top of Ben's head.

Ben shuffled himself into a sitting position before straddling Callum's waist. His hands were planted firmly on each side of Callum's head before he leaned down to attach his lips to his lover's. Callum propped himself up on his elbows so he could deepen the kiss. After a couple of minutes of slow and loving making out, Callum pulled away and looked into Ben's bright blue eyes.

"I think we should get up and start getting ready before Lexi comes bursting back in here" Callum chuckled, placing another quick peck on Ben's lips.

Ben groaned but stood up off of Callum, revealing his grey boxers and bare chest fully. Callum took a moment to admire his boyfriend again, laying in bed for just a while longer. He let his eyes linger over Ben's body before he felt a light slap on his thigh. He broke out of his little trace and gave Ben his infamous 'blink wink'. It was so adorable that he couldn't wink properly but always did it.

"Get your butt up, Mister," Ben said, giving Callum a stern look. "I did not get up to let you undress me with your eyes, or take off my boxers, I guess there's not much to undress"

Callum stood up and pulled on a pair of grey joggers and a hoodie while Ben put on a pair of shorts and Callum's t-shirt from the day before. It was very rare that Ben wore his things around the house. He always has something on that belongs to his boyfriend. Once they were dressed and had their teeth brushed, they head downstairs after another quick make-out session up against the bedroom door. They stumbled tiredly down the stairs and as soon as Callum had found his space on the sofa, Ben collapsed next to him, although he may as well have just sat on his lap since he was mostly on top of him. Not that Callum minded though. He wrapped his arm tightly around Ben and looked over to the stairs as he heard light but fast footsteps coming down them, followed by another two sets of heavier sets. Lexi gasped as she saw all the presents that Santa had bought for her and sat down on the floor, reaching out to grab her, what felt like, hundreds of presents.

Callum couldn't help it. He loved buying presents for Lexi and when Ben had told him that they had enough, he started to say he was going to a work commitment just so he could go and buy her more things that he spotted while the couple was out and about shopping. He wrapped them at his flat so Ben wouldn't know he'd got more and brought them round to the Mitchell household when Ben was out with Jay. Ben shook his head at the sight of the presents that morning but shrugged it off, knowing the novelty of buying lots of presents would wear off after a few years. The couple stayed cuddled on the sofa as Lola and Jay made drinks and Lexi opened presents. Ben took his coffee from Lola and almost downed it, he wasn't a morning person but it was cute to see.

Lexi finished opening all her presents and was too occupied to focus on the adults handing out their gifts to each other. Ben and Callum wait until everyone was off doing their own thing before exchanging their gifts. Not that they didn't want anyone to see what each other got, they just wanted a moment to themselves. Ben hand a wrapped present over to Callum, a light blush on his cheeks. Callum tore the wrapping paper open and a big grin was slapped onto his face. In his hands was a wallet, the same as what he got Ben last year. However, his was black and had 'CH' engraved at the bottom right corner. He opened it up and inside was a picture of Ben and Callum from a few weeks ago when they went ice skating. He grabbed Ben's chin and turned his head so he could place their lips together.

"Does that mean you like it?" Ben asked, his hand moving up to run his finger across Callum's jaw.

"I love it, Ben. Let's just hope we don't get them mixed up in the morning" He chuckled, his thumb running across the engraved letters.

Callum grabbed his present from beside him and handed it to Ben, a nervous smile tugging at his lips. It was in a small bag, similar to the one from the year previous, and inside sat a small ring box. Ben's eyes widened and he looked in shock and confusion.

"This isn't what I think it is, is it?"

Callum shook his head and chuckled lightly. He wished it was but he didn't know how ready for that sort of commitment Ben was. Ben reached inside the little bag and pulled out the ring box, flicking it open to see a silver ring similar to the one that he had on. However, engraved on the inside was Paul's name. They hadn't spoken about Paul much but Callum knew how much Ben loved and missed him and he knew the ring was only there to cover up the scar from the removed tattoo. Ben started to tear up and he quickly put the ring back in the box, attaching his lips to Callum's like before but with a lot more passion this time. Callum's hands moved up to wipe away the tears falling down Ben's cheeks before he pulled away. Ben gave him a bright smile, sniffing a little.

"Thank you, Callum" He mumbled, wiping more fallen tears. "Damn, I hate crying"

He chuckled and took a deep breath, sorting himself out. He didn't mind crying in front of Callum, he'd seen it many times before but he didn't really wanna go through the rest of Christmas with puffy red eyes. Callum reached across Ben to pick up the box. He slipped off the ring that was currently on Ben's finger, leaning down to place a kiss on the scar before he slid the new ring on. Ben looked down at his hand that was still being held by Callum's and smiled brightly. He was so happy that his lover and soulmate could forgive him for all his mistakes. He had no idea what he'd do without him.

Dinner was nice. They were all invited over to the Beale household where Ian had gone over the top with his cooking, clearly wanting to show off. Ben thought it was probably because his gorgeous, caring, and sexy boyfriend was a chef himself back in his army days and Ian wanted to make himself look better. That was an impossible task, nobody was better than Callum, especially in Ben's eyes. They all gathered around the table, Ben and Callum sat together as they were inseparable. Callum's hand fell onto Ben's thigh as the family engaged in conversation. They both pulled their crackers together, Ben winning both of them but claiming that he was nice enough to share his winnings with Callum, to which the older of the two rolled his eyes.

After dinner, everyone was full to the brim, quickly denying Ian's pudding that was brought out. All except Lexi, she would never deny a sweet treat. They didn't stop drinking alcohol though, Ben and Callum both stumbling home alongside Lexi, Jay, and Lola. They quickly made their way upstairs and collapsed on top of each other in bed, giggling as they were a mess.

"This is the best Christmas I've ever had" Callum mumbled, eyes starting to close, worn out from the day. He cuddled into Ben's side, a parallel from the morning and Ben was quick to embrace him in his hold.

\---

Callum wished for many more Christmases like this year. Maybe in the future having a Christmas in his own house with his kids and with the name Mr. Mitchell.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> Please leave any suggestions for one shots or ideas on how to improve! :)  
> XOXOX


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